Heart of Sand
by K Arieus
Summary: A plague breaks out in Sunaha, and with Shizune off on a mission, it's up to Sakura and her team of medical ninja to help out the neighboring village. But can she also heal the heart of the Kazekage? GaaraxSakura, no explicit scenes yet. *KAN*
1. Chapter 1

The Narutoverse and everything in it is © Masashi Kishimoto

The ideas found herein, however, are mine.

Well, FollowTheLemon (the writer formerly known as CheddarPixie), here you are. The first chapter of the story, Because I refuse to write OOC, I had to think for a bit on just how to bring the two together, so there's (quite) a bit of backstory on what's going on. It's a little slow-going in the romance department so far, but hopefully the plot itself will keep you entertained, and don't worry: the next chapter will have much more of that romance you all seem to like.

Also, as a side-note, all of these fics of mine, I think, will take place in the same world. If you see the KAN logo in the summary, the stories are related, so keep an eye out for some details that piece together the whole story! ;)

* * *

The office of the Fifth Hokage was, as per usual, something of a mess. Unfiled papers covered the desk, and more than a few of them had fallen to the floor, working like something akin to carpeting. Tsunade, however, was not at her desk, which was something that was also quite the norm. She'd stepped out onto the balcony, to feel the light breeze, cool from the mountainside, drift down upon her. Things were tense, but peaceful, what with Akatsuki all but eliminated.

"I need a drink," she whispered, her doe-like eyes blinking once before she turned, moving back into her office. Her hand reached down to open the drawer containing her hidden bottle of sake, when the door burst open, and a very out-of-breath Temari stood. Beads of sweat stood out on her fair features, and her breathing was ragged. Tsunade frowned, instead deciding to take a seat. If something had gotten to the girl this badly, it was probably important. "Come in, come in," she gestured, and the girl strode forward, still trying to catch the bits of breath that eluded her. "What's wrong, Temari?" the Hokage asked, fearing the worst.

Temari manged to get her oxygen intake under control, and bowed once to the Hokage before standing at her full height again. "Hokage-sama, something has happened in Suna, something our intelligence believes to be Akatsuki." As she had expected. The woman sat up a little straighter in her chair, motioning for the girl to go one. "While we have no definite leads, the act was sinister and cowardly, and we can think of no others who may have done something like it."

Tsunade frowned. "What _happened_, Temari? I cannot send assistance if I do not know what we're up against. Is it an attack, what?" The woman crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. Whatever it was, the Hokage had no doubt that it was something rather vile, as Temari was normally quite level-headed, and anything that could get her this riled up was rather impressive. Though she had asked, Tsunade wasn't entirely certain that she _wanted_ to know what had happened in Suna.

The young woman from Sand nodded, taking a deep breath to steady herself, her eyes closing. As she exhaled, she opened them again, steadily meeting the Hokage's gaze. "A disease was released in Suna, one that only affects those who are not yet adults. It seems to only affect those of the age thirteen and younger, though a few who are fourteen were also affected." Though she tried to keep her emotions in check, the woman's lip trembled, and a single tear began making a trail down her cheek. "Tsunade-sama...our medic-nin are not equipped to handle this. We humbly request assistance from Konoha," she finished with a bow.

The Hokage's eyes widened, letting out a breath as she leaned forward in her chair. She would go herself, if not for the fact that she was Hokage, and she had no idea how long the disease would take to treat. Shizune was off on a mission, also, which limited her options further. Tsunade closed her eyes, forcing herself to think with precision, rather than emotion, though images of her little brother flashed through her mind. She drew in another breath before exhaling again. "You!" she said, speaking to one of the guards standing outside her office.

"M-ma'am?" he responded, stepping inside of the room and bowing. The tone in her voice, after hearing the Sand-nin's story, made him a bit unsure as to what his duty would be.

"Fetch Haruno Sakura, and bring her here." The man bowed again, obviously relieved, and turned to leave. "Have her bring Yamanaka Ino, also." Again, the guard graced her with a bow before turning and darting off, happy that he wasn't being sent out.

Temari's gaze moved from the guard, back to the Hokage. Though she looked relieved that her request was being handled so quickly, there was evident confusion on her face. Concern flashed across her features a few times before she finally spoke, looking like she hoped she would avoid a reprimand. "Ino-san, Hokage-sama?" she asked simply.

Tsunade gave a nod as she leaned back in her chair. "If what you say is true, then the children have been affected by this disease. Often, children don't know what's wrong with them when they're ill, if they're conscious at all. Yamanaka-chan's family technique allows her to take control of someone, as I'm sure you know." Temari nodded. "When she is doing so, any damage that goes to her target is also felt by her. So she should be able to use her technique on a child, and be able to accurately get across what is troubling them." The Hokage gave a nod. "She's also a medic-nin, though she is still learning. I think that she will be quite important, considering the circumstances."

Temari gave a wince. "I apologize, Hokage-sama. I did not mean to doubt you."

As she spoke these words, the sound of footsteps came from the doorway, along with the sounds of what seemed to be a low growling. Seconds later, Sakura and Ino both appeared outside of the door, each one attempting to beat the other inside. Sadly, the result was that both were stuck in the doorway, with neither able to get past the other. "I thought you said you were thin, Ino-pig," Sakura grunted.

"It's your big forehead that's keeping us from getting through, Sakura!" the blond countered, before both of them managed to get through, miraculously keeping their balance. As one, they bowed to Tsunade, who just shook her head slowly. Perhaps having the two work together wasn't a good idea, after all.

"Sakura! Ino!" she barked sharply, and both girls stood straight, not expecting Tsunade to be so harsh. Obviously, something was wrong. From the wall, Temari watched, unable to help a small smile appear on her face at seeing the two being disciplined. Tsunade glanced down at the drawer with her sake, regretfully wishing she'd thought to get some a bit sooner. Her eyes returned to the girls, and she placed her elbows on her desk, interlacing her fingers. "A situation has arisen," she said, her eyes moving to Temari.

Both girls followed the gaze, and Sakura looked back at Tsunade. "What is it, Tsunade-sama?" she asked, her tone soft and serious, now. She could tell, from the tense mood in the room, that whatever was wrong, it was big. She exchanged a look with Ino, and felt bad about their entrance now. If only Ino didn't get her so riled up...

The Fifth frowned, her eyes moving back to the two medic-nin. With precise detail, she relayed the information that Temari had given her to Sakura and Ino, noting the change in their expressions as she did so. "So you see," she concluded, "Suna needs our help quite badly. Sakura, as you are next in command of the medic-nin after Shizune, I'm charging you with this operation. Ino, you are under her jurisdiction, so please keep your rivalry under control. This is a grave matter."

Sakura and Ino nodded slowly, still not having completely grasped what they'd heard. It was difficult to think of something like that; a disease that could target only children. The pink-haired girl looked to Tsunade, a frown on her face. "So will it just be us two, or am I taking some of the others with me? And when do we leave?" she asked, managing to keep her voice steady despite the emotion running throughout her. All those children...

"You will leave as soon as you are able," Tsunade spoke, answering her second question. "As for others, take eight with you. Ten medic-nin should be enough to supplement the Sand's own. Though I'm sure you were already thinking this, Sakura, take those who specialize in disease treatment." The girl nodded, giving a bow to Tsunade.

Ino gave a sympathetic smile to Temari. "We'll have everyone ready in about a half-hour. So meet us at the gate then, okay?" The fan-user gave a nod, accompanied by a smile of thanks, before the three of them emptied out of Tsunade's room, leaving the woman alone with her thoughts.

"Okay, _now_ I need a drink," she mumbled to herself, reaching down to the drawer.

* * *

The time passed quickly for Sakura and Ino, not having been on a real mission in some time. Their status and rank had made it difficult for them to do missions that could be done faster, and easier, by others. Aside from that, their skills made it necessary for them to be at home in Konoha, what with Sakura's natural medic-nin abilities, and Ino's own growing ones, along with her family technique, which allowed her to relate the condition of those unconscious or unable to speak coherently. The experiences had toughened the girl, but she was still quite vain.

"All ready?" Sakura asked, slipping her arms through the straps of the pack she was carrying. The other medic-nin nodded in response. Though some had been there longer than the girl, both her determination, and the fact that she had been trained by Tsunade, making her one of the more skilled. Even if any of them resented her or her abilities, none of them spoke a word of it, preferring to work as a team, rather than ten individual ninja.

Ino tossed her head, hoisting her pack as well. "I don't know if I agree with _you_ being in charge, Sakura. But Hokage-sama directed that you were the leader for this mission." The blond's gaze met the senior medic-nin's, the tension between the two of them nearly tangible enough to be cut with a chakra scalpel. With a sigh, the Yamanaka girl turned away. "So I'll listen to what you have to say. For this mission, at least."

Sakura nodded in response, a small smile spreading on her face, despite Ino's harsh words. The pink-haired girl knew Ino than most, with the possible exception of Shikamaru and Chouji, and knew that though the tone and words were harsh, the intent was genuine. "Thank you, Ino-chan," Sakura said softly in response, causing a light flush to appear on the other girl's face. Turning to the rest, she gave them a nod. "Temari-san is probably waiting for us at the gate. It's already been thirty minutes; if we don't hurry, we'll be late." The assembled nin gave an affirmative sound and the hospital room was suddenly empty, despite how full of life it had been.

* * *

Temari leaned against the gate, chatting lazily with Tenten, who was on guard duty. The weapon-master looked positively bored to tears, as most on guard duty did. Since Akatsuki had been routed, there was very little danger in the world anymore, which left the poor girl without much to do. "So anything new with you and Shika-kun?" Tenten asked, a smile on her face. Since Asuma's death, Shikamaru had become much more...serious, and far less lazy. He'd managed to make Jounin in a very short amount of time, something that he'd been able to do for awhile, but just hadn't gotten around to it.

The blond shrugged, the wind tugging at her kimono lightly. "Not all that much, really. He's been a lot more busy with all of his jounin duties. He still acts as Konoha's liason to Suna, when he has the time." She smirked, looking over at the girl. "I don't think the crybaby will ever get up the balls to ask me out, though. I'm probably going to have to be the one to do anything about it." She let out a small laugh. "Kankuro is completely against it, but that doesn't surprise me. He's always been protective of Gaara and I..."

As she trailed off, ten shinobi suddenly appeared in the clearing, led by Sakura and Ino. The pink-haired girl gave a smile to Tenten. "We're ready, Temari-san," the medic-nin said with an affirmative nod, looking quite ready for travel.

Tenten blinked, looking back and forth between Temari, and the ten medical shinobi who had suddenly made their presence known. "Something going on in Suna?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Temari hadn't said anything, but she had noticed that the woman was a little off from how she normally acted. Her calm and confident demeanor was somewhat subdued, something the kunoichi picked up on quite quickly. She'd learned to read such emotions from her time with Neji, as the boy rarely gave emotion to anything he ever said.

At Tenten's words, Ino stepped forward with a nod. "Yeah. There's a disease spreading, and they've requested our help." She shrugged her slim shoulders. "I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to reveal, but the situation isn't good, as it stands." Tenten frowned, obviously looking concerned. "Don't worry, Ten," Ino continued, giving the girl a smile full of her usual confidence. "With Konoha's best on the case, we'll be back in no time!" She gave a thumbs-up and a grin, and then faltered. "I...didn't look like Lee just now, did I?" she asked with a groan.

The other girls let out a light laugh, with Tenten shaking her head to let the girl know that she had not, in fact, looked like her good friend Lee. The other med-nins watched with fairly stoic faces, though one could easily tell that they weren't used to this situation in the least. "Okay," Sakura said, slamming her fist into her open palm. "Let's get going. Temari-san, lead the way." The sand-nin nodded, pushing herself off of the wall and darting forward off towards Suna. Sakura and Ino gave a quick wave to Tenten before following,

* * *

The shimmering, liquid-like sunset cast its few last rays of sunlight upon the Hidden Village of Sand. The three kunoichi and the medic-nin stood just outside its gates, waiting for entrance to be granted to them. "Since the disease, our security's been rather tight," Temari explained as the doors slowly began to open. "It's sad that things like this have to happen to Suna," she whispered softly, referring to the recent attack of Akatsuki on Gaara.

As they entered, the two medic kunoichi looked around, a frown etched onto their faces. "It's so...quiet..." Sakura whispered, her brow furrowed in concern.

"That's because all the kids are sick," a voice said from their right. Though the Konoha shinobi were quick to their weapons, Temari didn't even flinch at the voice. From the shadows emerged a young man in a black suit, though his face was devoid of its normal purple paint. His hood was pushed back, revealing his dark brown hair, giving him a fairly odd look to the Konoha natives, who were used to seeing him battle-ready. "If they weren't sick, there'd be a hell of a lot more noise, even at this time of night," he muttered, his arms crossed over his chest.

"What's the matter, Kankuro? Couldn't sleep without your big sister to watch over you?" Temari asked with a smirk, and though the sibling fight didn't seem to be overly violent, the unfamiliarity of it made it strange to Ino and Sakura.

Kankuro gave a snort of laughter. "Yeah. Right. No, Temari, Gaara just sent me out here to keep an eye out for you all. Apparently there's more than a few who think that Konoha was behind the attack." At this, several of the medic-nin, including Ino, glared at the puppet-master. "I'm not saying I'm one of them," he responded, then shrugged. "But it'd be bad if the help we requested as attacked and killed. The tension between Suna and Konoha was be stretched to its limit. It'd look like a damn trap." He turned, heading toward the Kazekage's tower. "C'mon, Gaara's waiting for you."

Temari followed her brother without hesitation, and only a single faltering step started Sakura's journey, before her strides became swift and sure. The other ninja followed at a fairly close pace, their eyes darting about for enemies hidden in the shadows. Kankuro's little talk had them all on edge, now. But none of them dared speak to try and ease the tension; the silence seemed to fit the town. To speak would be to break the quiet aura that surrounded it, which seemed both unnatural and fitting at the same time.

Kankuro paused outside of the Kazekage's tower, knocking twice on the door. A simple slider opened, revealing the eyes of a man who, upon seeing the siblings, shut the slider and pulled open the door, allowing them all inside. "So where are all the children at?" Ino asked as they stepped inside, the cautious air not something she was used to. Talking helped to fill the silence, which she found vastly more uncomfortable than natural. "Are they in the tower?"

Temari nodded. "Under the tower is a rather large area that we use when strong sandstorms blow through. It's large enough to fit everyone in the town, though not comfortably, but one should be able to stand a little discomfort in order to live, I would think." She turned to glance at Sakura and Ino as she walked, then her head moved back to her brother's back, who was leading them underground. "We've converted the area into a sort of makeshift hospital wing for now, as our own building wasn't large enough to house so many."

Sakura paused at the sand ninja's words, her steps faltering. "There are _that_ many?" she asked softly, the tone in her voice causing both siblings to pause and look at her. "I mean, you said that all of the children were stricken with this disease. But...just how many is that?" she asked, for the first time, a bit of uncertainty founds its way into her voice. She hadn't expected an overly large amount, for some reason, despite the fact that she _knew_ just how many there were.

Kankuro gave her a look that was partly pity and partly exasperation. "Well," he said as he placed his hand on the door handle leading further in, "just take a look for yourself." Both Sakura and Ino winced as he pushed the door open, and the two girls glanced inside.

The room was fairly large, probably enough to house most of, if not all of Konoha, though as was said, it wouldn't be very comfortable. Just over half of the room was taken up by beds, both ones from the hospital and simple futons upon the floor. The sheer number of children that were there caused Sakura to place a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in an expression of sadness. "This is...horrible..." she whispered, and Temari gave a nod.

"Which is why we requested your help as soon as possible." The young woman turned back, her gaze moving over all ten of the Konoha shinobi. "The place is chaos down there right now, but they have no real leader right now. The head doctor perished in Akatsuki's attack on Suna, and they've been floundering since then." She folded her arms over her chest, directing her gaze to the pink-haired girl. "They've all agreed to assist you, Sakura, so don't be afraid to give them orders. If we get a chain of leadership going, it may help the way things are going." Sakura nodded, then swallowed once. It was a daunting task, and a measure of her abilities as a doctor as well as a medic-nin.

However, the girl did not let any of these thoughts betray on her face, and her green eyes returned to Temari, giving her a nod to show she was ready. Kankuro gestured to the open door, and with a single deep breath to ready herself, the girl took the first step onto the stairs leading down into the main room. As she descended, the first thing that caught her attention was the smell. It wasn't overly disgusting, but it had an undercurrent of sickness and death, one that only further enforced her resolve.

Reaching the ground floor, she strode forward, pausing a few feet from the first bed. A few of the sand medic-nin noticed her and paused in their duties, as if waiting for her to speak. Sakura cleared her throat, to make certain she'd be heard over the din of pain-filled noises coming from the patients. "Excuse me!" she called, and the rest of the ninja, who hadn't seen her at first, glanced up. "I would like your attention. If you would all finish what you're doing and come over here, it would be appreciated greatly!" The sand medics nodded, returning to their patients.

* * *

Moments later, the fifteen or so medics from Sand stood before her, watching her with expressions that ranged from solemn to impatient to depression. Supplemented with her own, that gave her twenty-five to work with, including herself. Her eyes looked past the Suna ninja, looking over the beds that littered the floor. There were so many of them; she knew they'd still be short-staffed, but the extra ten she'd brought, plus the organization she'd assist with would make it plausible to help them all. However, she'd need at least two working on the cure for the disease at all times, if they wanted maximum efficiency. Mentally, she sighed. This was going to be a lot of work.

"Suna Medical Shinobi! My name is Haruno Sakura, apprentice to the Sannin Tsunade-sama. Your village has requested Konoha's help, and we will give it however we can. First off, we'll need to organize our resources. Taking care of a number this large will take some effort, but we'll give it our best. Now, have any of your shinobi been working with the disease to try and find a cure?" Silence greeted her words, and she couldn't help but frown. "You can't help them with the disease if all you do is take care of them!" she scolded, her brow furrowed in anger. "In that case, we'll have to work quickly. All right, everyone: here's the best plan I can see," she said, then began to unfurl her ideas.

* * *

Nearly ten minutes later, everyone stood, their eyes on Sakura. "Okay, you all know where you're supposed to be. "Kenji and Akio, you two start on the disease research." The two shinobi nodded, moving off to find a child who would work as their sample. "Ino, come with me. Everyone else, get to work. These kids aren't going to die, not while we have the ability to save them." The gathered medic-nins nodded, a new respect for the Haruno girl in their eyes. With another nod from her, the assembled shinobi darted away to fill their specific roles.

Following direction they'd received in their meeting, the two moved toward the oldest one afflicted. "So why the oldest one?" Ino asked as they walked. "Because his body is the most developed?" she continued, though she already had the thought that was the answer. "But wouldn't his body be close to fighting off the disease? Wouldn't it be better to look at one who was a little younger?" she asked with a frown. "What if it's just a fluke that he caught the disease?"

Sakura shook her head. "I don't think so. We'll check a few others if you want to be sure, though. And yes, because he's the oldest of them all, his body will be most likely to give a proper response to your jutsu. We don't want to get an incorrect reading, and focus on the wrong aspect of what the disease might or might not do." She frowned. "Coming up with a cure that might only make the symptoms worse is something that we can _not_ afford, Ino." The blond nodded in response, knowing that Sakura was correct, as she normally was when it came to medical matters.

They paused beside the bed of a boy who was but a few years younger than they were. His skin was deathly pale, and a sheen of cold sweat covered his body. His eyes were vaguely reminiscent of Gaara's, so sunken in were they. His breathing was labored and shallow, and though he appeared to be asleep, the expressions on his face made it quite obvious that he was in pain. As they watched, he gave a moan of pain, his hand tightening into a fist for a few seconds before relaxing as he became quiet again. "You want me to go in _that_?" Ino whispered, distraught.

Sakura didn't respond verbally, but she placed her hands on her hips and raised a single eyebrow. Ino responded by crossing her arms over her chest and glaring, the two standing in silence. Unexpected, the boy let out a low, racking cough, which brought the two of them out of their wordless argument. The blond gave a sigh, then glanced down at the boy. "Fine, fine," she muttered, her silver-blue eyes taking in the unconscious boy for a few seconds before she moved her hands to perform the jutsu.

Seconds later, her body collapsed, and Sakura caught it with little effort, waiting for her friend to return.

The mind was dark, and Ino could tell that the boy was asleep for certain. Grumbling to herself, she concentrated, extending her presence throughout his body, so that she could feel where he was feeling harm. It took a few seconds, but gradually her body became suffused with the same agony his body was going through. The feeling was centered in her lower ribcage, just above where her stomach was. From the medical classes she'd taken, she knew this to be the approximate location of the liver, which was a rather scary thought, as the liver was one of the more important organs in the body, and could handle a number of diseases on its own.

Slowly, subtly, she removed herself from the boy's consciousness, and extracted her mind from his before returning to her own body. The change in coming from something so ill to returning to her own body was baffling at first, and she looked around for a few seconds, as if dazed. Her eyes fell upon Sakura, who was still holding her steady. Grumbling she moved away from the girl's grasp, standing up and dusting herself off. "The liver," she muttered.

"...What?" Sakura asked, though she had quite obviously heard Ino's words. "The disease affects the liver? Oh man," she groaned, resting against the edge of the boy's bed. Her eyes rested on the ground for a few seconds before they returned to Ino. "And you're certain?" The blond tossed her hair and nodded, giving her a look that said 'of course I'm sure.' The green-eyed medic-nin gave a sigh, running a hand through her hair before she stood, nodding. "Okay, okay. Did you get any other feelings of pain from the other organs?"

Ino shook her head. "Nada. The entire body just felt _awful_ but it was centered on the liver." She shuddered. "Do I _have_ to go in others?" she asked, a whining note in her voice. "I don't know that we have to...and I need a break before I do something like that again."

After giving her friend a look, Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine, fine. Go let Kenji and Akio know what you've found out, so they know that whatever cure they're working on can't rely on the liver. After that, start on your rounds with everyone else." Ino nodded in response, beating a hasty retreat from the boy's bed, still looking a bit ill from her venture inside of his mind. With only the noise of the children around her, Sakura frowned, turning her gaze back to the boy. He was fourteen, from what she'd been told, the headband from Sand still tied fairly tightly around his arm. The boy was a Genin, like she'd been not so long ago.

As she watched him, his eyes suddenly flew open and he sat up, panting. He looked around, a crazed look of fear in his eyes. "Shhh, lay down," Sakura said, placing a hand on his shoulder. The boy looked to her, and her heart went out to him, as he appeared to be positively frightened out of his mind. "You're still in Suna, with all the other sick children. Remember?" Her words seemed to have an effect on him as his breathing slowed, and he gave her a slight nod. "Okay then...lay back down. You don't want to push your body. We're from Konoha, and we're doing the best we can to help you and everyone else, okay? Even if you can't sleep, just lay still. Your body needs all the rest it can get," she whispered, using a cloth she had on hand to wipe away some of the sweat from his face.

The boy gave a soft nod, his eyes closing. Sakura gave his shoulder a light squeeze for support, and soon he was asleep again, though he didn't appear to be doing any better. The girl shut her eyes, using a fresh bit of the rag to wipe her eyes, which began to water as the realization of what was going on finally hit her.

"You're very gentle with them," a voice said from behind her, which sounded like velvet-covered sword. It was soft, but held a sharp edge to it.

She turned, expecting to see a medic-nin, but who she saw surprised her enough for her to let out a light yelp. "G-Gaara?" she asked, too surprised to use his title or a suffix. What was the Kazekage doing down here? "I-I'm sorry," she said swiftly, bowing to him. "Forgive me, Kazekage-sama." As she stood back up, she noted that the dark circles around his eyes were nearly gone, giving him a much more healthy, and much less creepy, countenance.

The boy, who was but a few months older than her, gave a small smile. "Do not worry about it, Haruno-san. I came to personally thank you for coming so quickly." The smile faded as his face as he looked around at the children. "This is a sad day for Suna." His commanding gaze turned to Sakura, and the girl could feel a light flush appearing on her face, though from embarrassment or something else, she couldn't tell. "I trust you will do everything in your power to help?"

She bowed again, more so she didn't have to look at his eyes than anything else. There was something there that made her insides squirm. It was...like Sasuke. "O-of course, Kazekage-sama," she said, her gaze slowly raising back to his eyes. The confidence and control he radiated was nearly a physical thing, and try as she might, she couldn't help the blush on her face. She hadn't felt like this since she'd last seen Sasuke. Why Gaara? And why now?

"You aren't sick, are you Haruno-san?" he asked, his hand moving slowly toward her forehead. "This disease wasn't supposed to affect those of our age, from what I was told."

Sakura forced a laugh, taking a step backward away from Gaara, who blinked in confusion. "N-no, Kazekage-sama. I'm just not used to the heat of the Wind country, is all," she lied, though she was relieved as he nodded, retracting his hand. "Thank you for the concern, though."

Gaara gave her another odd look, his eyes no longer holding the virtually psychotic hint that Sakura was so used to. They were kind, something that had been caused both by Naruto and the removal of the Shukaku. "I'll leave you to do your work, then," he said softly, giving her a brief nod. "Again, thank you very much, Haruno-san. If you need anything, from supplies to advice, I will be in my office." With that, he turned to leave, giving his siblings a nod as he passed by them, his white robes almost making him seem to float.

Sakura, without being sure why, watched him leave. Something was stirring beneath her breast, something that had long since turned cold since Sasuke had left them. Her friendship with Naruto had helped somewhat to fill the void, but she doubted she could ever see the loud boy as anything more than a friend. But...Gaara? What was she thinking? He was the Kage of Suna, and more than anything, he was _Gaara_. Her memories of the sadistic streak the boy had within him hadn't faded at all, though they were now confused. He had seemed so...kind, and concerned with the welfare of the children. "I need a drink," she murmured, a phrase, and habit, she'd picked up from Tsuande as she turned, beginning her own rounds.

* * *

Well, there you have it, Chapter One. I'm probably guessing something around 3-4 chapters for this, but you never know. And I'm still open to requests if there's something you want to see written. I /can/ do yaoi...but just don't expect explicit scenes. : D


	2. Chapter 2

The Narutoverse and everything in it is © Masashi Kishimoto

The ideas found herein, however, are mine.

And thus begins Chapter Two. Thank you all for reading, and be sure to review~ It _does_ make me write faster, the more reviews I get. ;)

* * *

Sakura let out a sigh as she sat down, as she was now on her half-hour break. It had been only four hours since they'd arrived in Suna, but it seemed like several days. Her pink hair was dampened with sweat, and she wondered, quite seriously, how Kankuro could stand to wear that full-body black suit of his all of the time. Temari's kimono seemed to be fairly loose, and probably wasn't _that_ warm to wear. Gaara's outfit, while white to reflect heat, also seemed to be fairly warm, and she wondered if he ever removed it to cool off.

At that last thought, a light flush decorated her cheeks, and she shook her head, trying to clear it, though she could feel her ears burning from the images that had gone through her head in that short time. It wasn't something she wanted to think about...or was it? Her mind had been quite confused over these past four hours, and she wasn't certain what to make of any of it. The small event, though it had seemed much larger to her, had severely rattled what she thought she knew.

For so long, she'd loved Sasuke. She couldn't even remember when the feeling had progressed that far, from adoration to love. For certain, it had been that far when...when he'd left. And it had been somewhere around three years since then? Sakura sighed, putting her face into her palms. But it had been so long since she'd seen him, _really_ seen him that the feelings were starting to fade. Naruto had always been there, and she knew that the boy cared for her...but she couldn't come to think of the blond-haired youth as anything more than a friend.

But...Gaara?

"You look like you've got a lot on your mind," a voice, one Sakura knew well, spoke. She looked up to see Ino standing there, giving her friend an exhausted smile. The blond sat down near Sakura, also looking a little warm. However, as her dress was a little bit more...scant...she didn't seem as warm. "Anything you want to talk about?" Sakura gave the girl a look; she was being remarkably more complacent, and a bit less competitive, than usual. She attributed the change of attitude to the heat, and gave a shrug in response. "So one of _those_ thoughts, then?" she asked.

Sakura knew she wasn't going to throw Ino so easily; the two girls knew each other well enough that any such attempts would be thwarted with relative ease. She lifted her head, and gave Ino a small smile. "Yeah...one of those." She paused, considering actually telling the girl just what was on her mind. How would she react? Probably with joy, at being able to claim Sasuke for herself, if she was still interested. Mentally, Saukra let out another sigh, shaking her head. "It's just..." she began, but trailed off, seemingly unable to voice the words that came to mind.

Ino shook her head, raising her hands. "No, don't worry about it Sakura. If you don't want to talk about it with your _best friend_," she said, giving the pink-haired girl a hurt look. Sakura sighed, knowing that the look was probably mostly fake, but she knew that if something was bothering Ino, she'd want to help any way she could. And sometimes, just having someone to listen to what was on your mind was help enough. "So spill it. What's going on? Is it something with the children?"

At those words, Sakura nearly wanted to slap herself. Here she was, amidst hundreds of dying children, and she was worried about her own guy problems. She was going to drop it, but her eyes caught Ino's gaze and she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Well...not exactly," she muttered, frowning. She took a deep breath, and sat up straight. She _was_ on her break, after all. She could talk of such things if she wanted to. "It's actually more in the realm of guy problems," she finally confessed, looking over at the blond.

The medic-nin let a single brow rise. "Oh really? Sasuke still on your mind, Sakura? I doubt he's coming back. Everything's done and over with, and from Naruto said, Itachi's dead. Everything's been avenged, and he still hasn't come back." She frowned. "You've gotta give up on him, girl. Set your sights on someone else, and set them higher. Like Gaara-san or something," she said with a teasing smile. However, those words caused Sakura's cheeks to resemble her hair, and Ino's silver-blue orbs widened. "Oh..." was all she said, too shocked to speak much more.

Sakura let out a light laugh, definitely one born of nervousness, running a hand through her hair. "Yeah, kinda stupid, huh?" she asked, before letting out a sigh. "I think that my mind is just trying to find a replacement for Sasuke. Gaara has a lot of the same personality traits, you know?" Ino didn't respond verbally, and just nodded, her eyes still a bit wide. "The same confidence, the same sense of presence. And... And now that Gaara doesn't have those hideous black circles around his eyes anymore..." she trailed off, leaving the unsaid words alone.

Ino broke from her reverie, smiling and shaking her head. "I know what you mean, Sakura. I do. But still, you can't just...throw yourself at him. No offense, but that didn't work all that well with Sasuke." She paused, giving her friend a half-embarrassed smile. "For either of us, really. But I couldn't help but think the same thing about Kankuro when we first got here. He looked really...weird, at first without all that purple makeup, or that weird hood on. But I don't know. Maybe?" she asked, as if trying to see if she was alone in this before letting out a snort of amusement.

Sakura giggled along with her, glad that she wasn't alone in thinking like she had. "I'd reprimand you, Ino, but mine's not much better. But...then again, I don't really see Kankuro as the relationship-type, you know?" she asked, but then frowned. "I guess Gaara really isn't either." With a sigh, she shook her head, putting her hands on her knees and looking upward, the few strands of hair that had fallen into her face falling from her gaze. "Maybe I should just go after someone a bit more sensible. Like Neji, or maybe Kiba."

At the mention of the second name, Ino let out a laugh. "You're a little to late for that one, Sakura." The pink-haired girl turned, raising an eyebrow at Ino. "You haven't heard?" she asked, and Sakura shook her head. "Well...rumor has it, that Kiba has 'buried his bone,' as it were." At those words, Ino gave a wink. "And we heard it from Hinata-chan. Which means I don't think she's going to be chasing after Naruto anymore, if you catch my drift." Sakura did. Everyone knew that Naruto liked Sakura, but...he was Naruto. He wasn't a boyfriend, at least not to her. A lot of people thought that she didn't accept his affections because of Hinata...but that wasn't the case.

"Well...even so, Ino. I said it before, and I'll say it again. Hinata had nothing to do with my choice of not going after Naruto. It's just...I don't see him as someone who could be a...a...boyfriend. He's too unobservant, misses simple clues, and doesn't know how to act around a lady." She frowned. "Plus, it's Naruto. We just...don't fit." She turned to her blond friend with a smile. "You can have him, though. I'm sure it wouldn't take much from you to turn his eyes from me to you."

Ino shook her head, a bit fiercely. "No way. Not me. Naruto and I would kill each other. I mean...he's cute, sure. But...no. No way." The blond sighed, giving Sakura an amused smile. "So Gaara, then? Any evil genius plans in mind?"

Giving a light laugh, Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yes, because I'm so good at that." She let out a sigh, bringing one hand up to tuck a few stray strands of hair behind one ear. "I've actually been avoiding him. He's been down here a few times, and I've had some of the other medic-nin go and meet him. But we do need more water, especially for us. I'm parched, and it's only been a few hours. Even if it's cooler down here under the town...it's still way too warm."

Nodding in return, Ino reached out and gave her friend a push on the back. "Well, what are you waiting for? Just go and see him. You've already got the pretense, and it _is_ something that we really need. The children are all sweating rather profusely as well, both from the heat and the disease. Suna doesn't have the biggest supply of water...but if they're going to want their children to pull through, then we don't have any choice." The serious look faded from Ino's features, and the blond gave a wink. "So go and talk to him. Just feel it out. If he's not interested, then don't worry about it."

The pink-haired kunoichi gave a heavy sigh, knowing that there was no way that her friend was going to let this go. "All right, all right. I'll go check with Kenji and Akio to see if they've made any progress, and then I'll go up and see Gaara. Okay?" she asked, and Ino gave a smile, nodding. Hesitating for another second, Sakura wondered if she was making the right choice. What if Sasuke showed up in Konoha tomorrow, looking for her? What would she do then? Mentally, she shook herself; she wouldn't think about it. Let life happen as it happened.

Before Ino could get another word in, Sakura stood up, frowning lightly. The effort of doing so made her realize just how exhausted she was, but she knew she couldn't just let the situation unfold on its own. She was in charge here, and she'd do everything that she could do in order to make sure that these children weren't going to die. If she had to talk to Gaara, she'd set her personal feelings aside and do what was necessary. They needed water, and the Kazekage was the only one who can give the order, so she'd talk to Gaara. That was all there was to it.

She walked purposefully toward where the two medic-nin had set up an area for the disease research. The two had removed their thick medic-nin outfits, preferring instead to work in their spare outfits, which consisted of just t-shirts and pants. Standing behind the two of them, she placed a hand on each of their shoulders, leaning forward to look and see what they had managed to do. "So what have you two found out, other than it's hotter than hell?" she asked, giving them a smile.

Akio returned it, then looked back at the data that he and Kenji had been working on. "Well, from what we can tell, it's a very interesting disease." However, from his tone, Sakura could tell that the 'interesting' was something bad. "It's quite ingenious, and I'd actually be more than a bit proud if I had developed something like this," he said, turning back to face her. However, the pink-haired kunoichi didn't seem to share his enthusiasm as she watched him with an annoyed expression. Swallowing once, he turned back to the disease, and began to speak again. "From what it seems to do, the disease attacks the liver first, rendering its primary, disease-fighting functions inoperable, before it moves onto the white blood cells."

Sakura frowned. "So it essentially first goes after the biggest threats to its survival? That's...interesting," she said softly, now beginning to understand why Akio was so intrigued by the disease. Kenji nodded, but didn't speak. The girl couldn't help but shake her head and smile. "Silent as ever, Kenji." She gave the two a look. "Have you made any progress in creating a vaccine to fight it?" she asked, though they could probably begin curing the most ill ones with chakra if need be, now that they knew how it worked.

"Well," Akio said, scratching his head and frowning, "the problem isn't that we can't make a cure for the disease. In fact, we're mostly finished with it right now," he said, gesturing to where the two had been working. "When applied to the sample, it renders the disease inactive, and, after a few hours, restores the functions of the liver and white blood cells, though that can be done by hand using healing jutsu if needed."

Sakura frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Okay then. So what's the problem?" Obviously, there was something much more sinister about this disease than the two were letting on. It they had been working on it, and in such a short time created a vaccine that could easily take out the disease, then they really didn't have too much to worry about. So why did their voices sound so...dejected? Silence followed her question, and she sighed. "I'm only going to ask once, you two," she reminded them, her hands clamping down lightly on their shoulders.

Akio grimaced, knowing that Sakura had inherited much more than just Tsunade's medical ability. "Well, the thing is...the vaccine won't work on someone else." The girl raised a single, questioning brow, and Akio hesitated for a second before continuing. "Basically, when the disease infects a host, it copies genetic material from the host's body to supplement it's own. So really...we aren't dealing with one disease that's infecting all of these children, Sakura-san." His eyes met hers, and she realized just how deadly serious the situation was. "Each of these kids has a different disease that does the exact same thing. Whoever designed this is at least as skilled as Hokage-sama."

The noise of the children around Sakura died away as she tried to fathom what she'd just been told. Each child...had a different disease? That would mean that there would be no way to cure them all. Were all of them going to die? And it was all her fault? Faintly, she heard someone calling her name, but the world was collapsing around her. She caught a vague look at Ino before the crushing blackness surrounded her, and she collapsed before them all.

* * *

The darkness slowly began to lift as her consciousness returned. The only thing that Sakura could really tell was that she was in a bed, and not on the hard floor of the underground area. As she lay there in her own thoughts, memories of what had taken place prior to her passing out returned to her, and she let out a groan, rolling over. How could they possibly treat all of those children individually? The thought of doing that was too mind-boggling to accept. She'd need to figure something out, or the vast majority of those children were going to die. "I don't know..." she muttered to herself.

"So you're awake, then?" The voice that came to her wasn't overly familiar to her, and she wondered vaguely if it was one of the medic-nins from Suna. She rolled over, preparing to chastise them for breaking the orders that they were given. However, her eyes met Gaara's who was sitting in a chair near the bed, documents on a small desk in front of him. "I'm relieved. You were muttering in your sleep about something, and I was afraid the heat had gotten to you." Sakura glanced around, slowly beginning to realize that she wasn't in the Suna hospital.

She was in Gaara's room.

Her face suddenly turned bright pink, and was almost immediately accompanied by the sound of Gaara's chair being pushed backward as he stood. "You're still flushed. I'll get you some water," he said simply, striding from the room, leaving her in silence.

The girl looked around, seeing that this was, in fact, very similar to Tsunade-sama's room, though the building material was different, obviously. It still humbled her to know that the red-haired sand ninja, despite his age, already had enough power to be Kazekage. He'd easily defeated Naruto in their race, especially since her friend was still technically a genin, though she'd rank him at a jounin, really. But still...the fact that Gaara held this much power in Suna was a bit staggering to accept, especially since they were so similar in age.

The last thought caused her cheeks to redden again, just as the object of her thoughts returned. The young man wasn't in his Kazekage uniform, and had on his usual red trench coat. The gourd of sand, absent from his back, sat in a nearby corner. He strode over to her, and with virtually no hesitation, sat on the edge of the bed, handing her a canteen filled with water. "Our fresh water is a little low, so please excuse the bitterness. Our medics were working with this before the epidemic hit."

She raised an eyebrow, the pinkness fading as she forced herself to concentrate on the liquid. She took a drink of the stuff, and winced a little as she swallowed. It was rather bitter. "What is this?" she asked, before taking another drink. She couldn't quite place the origin of the bitter taste. It was different from that of sake or the other alcohol that Tsunade-sama drank...and shared.

Gaara, with a somewhat amused expression, shrugged his lithe shoulders. "The base is water, but apparently they've found some sort of supplement that they can add to it which causes it to stay in the body, rather than being released in sweat." Sakura watched his face, almost amazed. With his eyes no longer surrounded by the dark circles, and wearing an expression that didn't make him look like a psychopath, Sakura found him to be almost an entirely different person. "They say it hydrates better and- Do I have something on my face?" he asked, confused.

Sakura, feeling her skin heating up again, looked away and took another drink of the bitter water. Though the bitter taste did make it a little harder to drink, at the same time, it made her want to drink more. It worked quite well. "N-no," she responded, then forced her voice to become steady. "It's just that I don't think I've ever heard you speak this much, is all. You're normally so quiet and stoic...it's just strange to me, I suppose." And though it was true, that wasn't the real reason of her staring.

However, before she turned back, she suddenly felt a cool hand upon her brow. Knowing that only herself and Gaara were in the room, the blush began to deepen. Her emerald eyes widened as the thoughts came crashing down around her about what was currently happening. "Are you sure you're alright, Sakura-san? You really don't appear well." Sakura swallowed once before she closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on the children, rather than the hand upon her forehead.

She gave Gaara a smile, doing her best to appear healthy. "Yes, Kazekage-sama, I'm fine. Your forwardness is just throwing me a bit off guard is all..." She was at least telling the truth, here. His constant inquiries to her health were often paired with his hands moving toward her, to feel her brow. The thought of skin contact, especially that, was enough to send shivers down her spine. But to actually have his hand touching her...

But at her words, the kage nodded, removing his hand from her forehead, both to Sakura's relief, and her dismay. "I apologize then, Sakura-san. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable." Despite his words, he still did not remove himself from the bed, and his gaze was still locked with hers. "Since you're here, is there anything that you'd like to report on your progress, as far as you know?"

Sakura forced herself to break the gaze, looking down at her hands as she sat on the Kazekage's bed. "Well, we did find a few things out, but..." she said, her voice trailing off.

Raising a single eyebrow, Gaara watched her, waiting for her to continue. When she didn't, he gave a small frown. "But what? Even if the news is not good, I still need to hear it."

The girl swallowed the lump in her throat, preparing herself to tell the Kazekage that there was no way they were going to be able to save all of the children. "Well, we found that the disease starts by targeting the liver. That makes it more difficult to treat, as most antidotes just supplement what the liver does, and let that take out the disease. So that went out. Then my two specialists discovered that the disease...isn't just one disease."

Gaara frowned. "It's a few different ones? Even so, that shouldn't be too hard to treat, am I right?" he asked, his hand unnervingly close to her own. He'd set it down after putting it on her forehead, and the girl had instantly noted that it was only an inch or so away from her own. "Or is there something more to the story?"

Keeping her mind on the disease at had, Sakura sighed and nodded. "The disease is very unique. According to my specialists, it takes genetic material from its host to combine with its own. So in essence, each of those children has a different disease that all do the same thing. At this point, we don't have a way to treat them all."

The words fell upon Gaara, and she could tell that the news was something that he had not expected. The look on his face was one of depression and fear. However, before the girl could look on that countenance for too long, he composed himself, dismissing it with a small cough. "So what you're saying is that we're to just give up hope on the children of Suna? Is that what you would have us do?"

Sakura felt the acid sting of the words, and winced at he spoke. But she wasn't going to be intimidated, not even by Gaara. "Not at all, Kazekage-sama. We are still going to do everything in our power to keep these children alive. And we're going to keep working on a cure. No matter what comes our way, we medical shinobi are not going to give up." Her fist was clenched tightly, and her words were full of fervor. She meant every word she said, and the look in Gaara's eyes told her that he understood.

The Kazekage smiled after a moment, and nodded at her. His right hand fell upon her shoulder, and the contact sent shivers through her, despite the fact that it was merely a gesture of thanks. "Thank you very much, Sakura-san. If there is anything that you need at all, please let me know, so that I may assist you in any way that I can. This is in your hands, remember."

Though many thoughts ran through her mind just then, the girl forced herself to keep a lid on what she wanted to say. Even though Gaara was right here, and she could probably attempt some sort of contact to see if he was interested, the children came first. "W-well, there is something that we do need. We are very low on water down there, and hydration is key to recovery. So any that you could spare for the children would be greatly appreciated."

She was surprised that she'd been able to keep her voice level throughout that. Her heart was pounding just being this close to him, and she was certain that another flush had already begun to appear on her face. He just seemed so...gentle, now. He still had the same confidence, the same manner that he carried himself with as Sasuke had. But the rude, arrogant streak seemed absent, which was one of the few faults that Sakura had with the Uchiha. Instead he was kind, and gentle, something that seemed unusual to her.

"Of course, Sakura-san. All the water we of Suna can spare will be delivered to you. The children are our first priority, and even if I weren't Kage, everyone would agree on this." He nodded, giving her another smile. "I understand the situation seems grim, but you are the only one who can help us now, Sakura-san." The young man seemed to realize that he'd been talking much more than usual, and stood, removing his hand from her shoulder. "Is there anything else?"

Sakura frowned. "If we could get a message to Tsunade-sama, that would be of great help. If we let her know how the disease is working, she might be able to help us with an idea for the cure." The thought had occurred to her as she'd been in the Kazekage's room, as she was certain her mentor would have some sort of idea as to how to cure the disease. "Also, we could request water from Konoha as well, as I'm not certain how much we'll need."

Gaara nodded, summoning a messenger to his room, and offered Sakura a scroll and brush to write with. The girl worked quickly, explaining the basics of the disease and how it was affecting the children, while also adding a request for water. Her eyes moved over the page as she reread her work, making sure not to have missed anything important. With a nod, she handed the scroll to the messenger, who seemingly vanished from the room, leaving the two alone again. "Will you be leaving now?" he asked, and Sakura heard, or thought she heard, a note of sadness in his voice.

Dismissing it as distress over the children, she nodded. "I need to get back down there and help out. I thank you for your help, Kazekage-sama," she said with a bow. "I hope that we are able to find a cure for this disease soon. I won't rest until we've exhausted every possible resource that we have."

The young man nodded, his expression even. "I appreciate your dedication, Sakura-san." He paused then, as if suddenly thinking of something. "You…don't mind me calling you as such, do you? I would rather not offend you, as the young of Suna are in your care," he spoke, a small upturning of the right corner of his mouth causing Sakura to inhale slowly to keep her wits about her.

"Er, no, not really," she spoke with a laugh, though it was obviously of the nervous sort. "As long as the name you choose to call me isn't derogatory, Kazekage-sama, I don't mind," she said with another quick bow. "But I really must be going. When…when all this is over, maybe then we can…talk." Her sentence ended on a quiet note, and she could feel the flush rising up in her face again. "P-pardon me!" she cried, turning to exit from the room as hastily as possible.

"Be careful that she doesn't shatter that heart of yours, Gaara." The voice belonged to Kankuro, who crouched in the window. "I don't know how you would handle such a thing." The puppet-master frowned as he entered the room, setting a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "Your heart is-"

"-Fine, Kankuro," the Kazekage spoke, turning his eyes from the door to the elder of the two. "You realize that you're being unnecessarily overprotective again, don't you?"

"Look, Gaara, I'm just trying to make sure that you don't make a mistake that's not only going to hurt you, but potentially endanger Suna as well. I'm just looking out for the best interest of our country here, while you're too busy chasing after some Kunoichi from a different country!" Kankuro shouted, slamming his fist onto a table. "You need to keep your priorities straight, if you're going to be the leader of Suna."

Sighing, the former bearer of Shukaku turned to face Kankuro. "I'm merely trying to distract myself, even for a moment, from the dire situation that our country is in. Forgive me for still being rather young, despite my temperament." His eyes narrowed slightly, though they still did not contain the degree of insanity that they used to. "I apologize for not meeting your approval, brother, but unless what I do is hampering our situation, I request, as your Kazekage, to stay out of it."

With a wince, the eldest sibling took a step back. "If that is your decision…Kazekage-sama, then I shall respect it."

Within seconds, Gaara was left alone in his room once more. He released a heavy sigh, and for a moment looked as if he were going to snap under all of the pressure he was under. But then he put on the face of the Kazekage, and turned, sitting back down in the desk that he had been in when Sakura had awoken. He had work to do.


End file.
